The moment you surrender your fuzzy socks for bar-scarred heels, most likely at the coaxing of one or all of your roommates, you begin to anticipate all the possibilities awaiting you at 10 PM on a Thursday. You’re overly ambitious expectations of the evening could include taking the perfect profile picture, finding a nice guy to buy you drinks all night, or finding an even nicer guy to buy your cab home. Regardless, you probably don’t begin a night out planning to meet your new BFF. It is college, however, and nice girls to whine about the lack of chivalrous boys offering you shots are often times easier to come by than a potential beau. 

When you leave the bar with a bridesmaid, not a husband: as shocked as we all are to still be hopelessly single after yet another night downtown, life may have just gotten a little better now that you have a new bestie to laugh at it with. 

She’s probably not in your sorority, you didn’t room together in the dorms freshman year and she definitely didn’t go to your high school…so how did you foster this unlikely friendship? Chances are in two years, when you’re still squealing each time you see each other out, taking turns buying drinks and posing for endless Instagrams, neither of you will even remember the bathroom trip, drink, or knowing look you shared when the worst girl at the date party slipped on the floor dousing you both in long island iced tea. This memory marking your transition from strangers to best friends won't necessarily be one you cherish your whole life, the resulting friendship, however, you’ll never be able to forget. 

So how do you know the girl you talk to in line while waiting to catch the attention of the bartender is your future soul mate and not just a friendly acquaintance? The five things that set finding love in a hopeless place apart from merely finding small talk are as follows:

1. Some degree of mutual friends. She’s definitely not best friends with all of your roommates, but you know enough of the same people that a friend request the next morning won’t make you look like a stalker—after all you just want to tag her in the pictures you took where you’re posing and laughing like you’ve known each other for years not minutes.

2. Mutual enemies. I’m talking about the aforementioned long island girl. It’s easy to bond when the annoying girl in front of you in the bathroom line won’t stop whining about her ex boyfriend as if everyone, or from the looks her ‘friends’ are exchanging, anyone in the near vicinity cares. 

 3. Over sharing. For some reason, despite your mutual annoyance with the whiny bathroom girl, you feel that you can confide in this stranger and when your ex walks into the bar she immediately gets a five-minute breakdown of the rise and fall of your relationship.

 4. Generosity. How could you not form a lasting relationship after spending a night buying each other shots, beers and pizza with a joint reckless disregard for your bank accounts?

 5. Inside jokes. Shared jokes and memories from the night you meet perpetuate new friendships. Reminiscing on these tales will give you something to laugh about the next time you see each other and recalling the fun you had will make you want to hang out again.